Arrow: Jessica De Gouw on Bringing DC Comics' The Huntress to TV

This Wednesday's episode of Arrow, "Muse of Fire," features the debut of Australian actress Jessica De Gouw as Helena Bertinelli - aka DC Comics' The Huntress! I had a chance to visit the set of Arrow and talk to De Gouw outside the awesome Vancouver lakeside estate being used for the Bertinelli Family Mansion and get the scoop on her character.

De Gouw, who was dressed as Helena, daughter of crime lord Frank Bertinelli, realized that her whole color scheme, even when she wasn’t in costume as The Huntress, hinted at her alter ego. “There are hints of purple in most things,” she said. “Just a little dab here and there. Just to suggest the right things. But it’s definitely part of the costumes.”

Jessica De Gouw as The Huntress in Arrow.

Looking around at the lavish set, it was obvious that Helena was just about as well off as Oliver is, family fortune-wise. But is there room for two wealthy vigilantes in Starling City? “Helena comes from a very difficult upbringing," De Gouw shared. “They’re her family, but I think she differs from them in her ideals and with what she thinks is right. So it kind of creates a conflict for her and while Oliver is trying to do what his father wants, Helena is the opposite. And separating yourself from one’s family is a big thing for anybody. I’d like to think I’m a little different with my family, but it’s pretty bold. And she has to be a pretty bold person to follow through.”

“It’s challenging for me because I play Helena and the Huntress and I have to be able to hold my own regarding the duality of the role,” De Gouw continued. “And I have to be able to kick butt and all of that. And I’m quite feminine in my normal every day life, so the fighting and all of that is new and interesting for me. But it’s good. I’m really enjoying it. I’ve really been thrust into it so you might as well just jump in, right?”

Stephen Amell and Jessica De Gouw in Arrow.

When asked about how Huntress first appears on the screen, De Gouw was silent for a moment but then laughed and said “With a punch,” not wanting to give too much away. “She comes in strong. But I don’t really know what else I can say about that. She’s a force. She’s a force of nature. And not only the Huntress but Helena is pretty sassy in her own right.”

Describing the dynamic between Arrow and Huntress, De Gouw remarked, “[Oliver and Helena] come from such different backgrounds and circumstances, but there’s something very similar about them,” De Gouw said. “And I think that’s where the attraction comes from. They find something they can relate to and appreciate. And I don’t think the rest of the world necessarily gets it all the time. It’s just sort of an instant recognition maybe... of something pretty cool.”

As far as inspiration for her performance went, De Gouw stuck close to the source material. “I went back to the comics,” she said. “I think the comics are the best place to start. That’s where it originated. That’s what the fans want to see. That’s what I wanted to go for. I don’t think it helps to impersonate someone else who’s already done it perhaps. Because this isn’t like anything else. It looks different and it feels different. And it’s a different tone.”

“She’s pretty ruthless,” De Gouw added. “She’s certainly not as controlled as she possibly could be. I mean, she’s a vigilante of sorts and in her own head she justifies the choices she makes. It’s born out of the relationship with her family and her father and rectifying the wrongs that were done there. So that’s where it all comes from.”

“Muse of Fire” airs Wednesday, November 28th at 8/7c on The CW.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and on IGN at mattfowler. No other choice you will ever make will be as easy and render such a great reward.